THE AUTHOR’S EXPERIENCES IN THE WAR AS REFLECTED IN THE MAIN CHARACTER OF ERNEST HEMINGWAY’S A FAREWELL TO ARMS: AN EXPRESSIVE APPROACH

By
Murtingatun Rofiqoh
04004087

ABSTRACT

This research entitled The Author’s Experiences in the War as Reflected in the Main Character of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. The researcher analyzes the author’s experiences in the war as reflected in the main character of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. The purposes of the analysis are to describe the characterization of the main character of the novel, and to describe the experiences of the author as reflected in the novel.

This study belongs to descriptive qualitative study. The subject of the study is the novel A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, and the object of the study is the love affair between Frederick Henry and Catherine Barkley. The main data in this research is the novel. The secondary data are some critical books, journals, and on-line sources. The data analyzed are conducted under the expressive approach which is described by Abrams.

Based on the research findings, the writer concludes that the main character of A Farewell to Arms, Frederick Henry, is changeable in the manner. Henry is spiritually lost, immature in word, boyish and lie, and reluctant at first. However after his meeting with Catherine Barkley, he changes into a loyal and responsible man. Basically, Henry is humble, friendly, respectful, brave, and generous instead of his bad attitude above. The reflection of Ernest Hemingway’s life in the novel can be seen from several experiences such as experience of being an ambulance driver, experience of finding bad condition in war, experience of carrying wounded soldiers to hospitals, experience of being wounded, experience of helping another ambulance driver, experience of being carried to the post, experience of being cured in a field hospital, experience of being awarded a medal, experience of being reconciled into Milan, experience of falling in love with a nurse, experience of using crutches, experience of proposing to marry his beloved nurse, experience of getting jaundice, and experience of being left by the nurse.